Friday, September 24, 2010

Department of Defense Mandates All Inventory Purchases Over $5k Carry a UID

In December of 2007 the Department of Defense (DoD) issued its revised Standard Practice Identification System for Marking of US Military Property commonly referred to as mil std 130, applicable to all suppliers of items to the DoD. It had been estimated at one point that the military had lost over $2 billion because of inadequate inventory control. Mil std 130 mandates that suppliers mark each and every item with a unique identification system or uid . The uid is basically a two-dimensional matrix bar code that must include a serial number, a part number and a CAGE code (Commercial and Government Entity Code), In addition, the uid has to include the supplier's Personal Identification Number (PIN), as well as the purchase order number, and contract number.

Mil std 129 Outlines DoD uid Standards for Shipping Containers.

To further streamline the process, the DoD also requires that the shipping containers be marked with a code and these requirements are outlined in MIL STD129. These markings simplify the work of military personnel in managing inventory. According to mil std 129 , shipping containers can be categorized into three types, unit containers, intermediate containers and exterior containers. For all containers, the shipper must include the National Stock Number (NSN), item description and part number. For exterior containers, mil std 129 specifies additional labels such as Military Shipment Level (MSL), serial number bar code and Direct-Vendor Delivery level (DVD). This uid code must be readable by both humans and bar code scanners. Both mil std 129 and mil std 130 spell out many additional refinements and specifications. Most business find that they need outside help to achieve complete compliance.

Hiring Experts To Insure Compliance Is The Smart Choice.

ID-Integration specializes in helping businesses be mil std 129 and mil std 130 compliant. With 12 years of experience, the experts at ID-Integration help their customers avoid costly and time consuming mistakes in complying with these complicated but very important DoD requirements. And ID-Integration is a complete source, providing both information and a complete product line. Not only do they offer an assortment of marking equipment--laser, dot peen, chemical etch, and ink jet, but they also carry a variety of imagers, scanners and verification systems. ID-Integration has the answers and the hardware to make any business uid compliant.

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